


IOU

by Riviin



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Budding Romance, Don't Let Me Write Things, Dumb Idiot Friends, Fluff, I Blame Tumblr, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2013-11-16
Packaged: 2017-12-21 05:08:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/896157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riviin/pseuds/Riviin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On Gavin's 26th birthday, Michael gives him a present he wasn't quite expecting. A stack of IOU he could turn in to claim different things: free food, not being yelled at, drinks, a massage and - a kiss?!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prequel - Birthday Boi

**Author's Note:**

> comin' atchu live, raw and unedited fluffy bullshit

Very harsh, loud knocks at his front door woke Michael with a start. He glanced at his clock, groaning at the fact it was 4:45, and got up. He found Geoff already in his apartment and in the kitchen making coffee - why did he ever give him a key? - and stretched groggily before getting some creamer.

"Go get ready, idiot. I'll make the coffee." 

He did as he was told. 

At precisely 5:22, Michael re-entered the kitchen fully dressed and ready for his work day. Geoff handed him a to-go cup that Michael guessed he had brought from home and they rushed out to their cars. It was a busy hour setting up the entirety of the Roosterteeth office before Ray arrived with a giant cake and more soda and chips than was probably necessary. They admired their work, fixing minute details and making sure everyone was in place by the time 7:00 rolled around. 

\---

Gavin woke up lazily and took his sweet time getting ready until he realized Geoff wasn't home and he would have to either call someone for a ride or walk. He glanced out the bathroom window while brushing his teeth and decided that, yes, it was a nice enough day to walk. He grabbed his satchel and headed outside, only to find Michael idling out front. He leaned out the car window and shouted, "Let's go, Gavin!" He made sure to hurry and they were soon pulling up in front of the Roosterteeth building. Gavin hopped out of the car and Michael followed him to the front door, which was completely riddled with balloons. 

"Oooh, cool!" Gavin, now intrigued, ran inside to find more balloons - accompanied by streamers, confetti, and a surprisingly empty front room. "Where is everyone?" 

"C'mon." Michael said, urging him toward the upstairs with a hand on his back. "You gotta see upstairs first." It was decorated wall to wall with every party favor ever, even in Gus' office (personal payback from Geoff.) Gavin was jumping up and down in excitement as Michael led him back downstairs and right in front of the door to the Achievement Hunter office. "Go on in." 

Gavin pushed the door open and was met with a barrage of "Happy birthday, Gavin!" along with several confetti poppers and party horns being blown in his face. He stopped for a second, glancing around at everyone decked out in hats and finding the giant cake that had been placed on a table in the middle of the now even more crowded room. Everyone watched him expectantly as he swiped a finger across the side of the cake and popped it in his mouth. 

"It's my birthday?" There was a collective groan followed by several bouts of laughter as Michael slung his arm around Gavin's shoulder and ruffled his hair. 

"You're an idiot, ya know that?" 

Gavin grinned. 

They brought the cake to the back parking lot where they found - surprise, more decorations - the rest of the Roosterteeth crew crowded along several picnic tables covered in food and drinks. They tried, and failed, to yell "Happy birthday!" in unison. Gavin loved it anyway. Everyone dished themselves up cake and chips and they sat there for hours just talking before Gavin finally asked about work.

"This was Michael's idea, he came to Burnie, Matt, Gus and I about it and we decided one day off of work wouldn't hurt anybody." Geoff said, smiling and clapping Gavin on the shoulder, "It's a very important birthday, after all. Now you're officially closer to thirty than twenty." 

"But he still acts like he's seven." 

"Cheers, Ray." Gavin said, holding up his soda before turning to Michael, "My lovely little boy, you planned all this?" 

"Fuck yeah, I did. This is only the first part, though. Burnie, Gus and I decided a lunch barbecue at Geoff's would be a perfect way to torture you before we let you open your presents." 

"We're having a barbecue at my house?" Geoff looked dumbstruck, but Gavin was bouncing in his seat.

"I've got presents?!" 

\---

It took a ridiculous amount of manpower and several cars to get them all to Geoff's house. They were lucky his backyard was big, but even so it was still packed. Almost everyone changed into swimsuits quickly, and Gavin took turns wrestling people in the pool. He lost to everyone, even Ray. By the time Burnie had cooked up a heaping plate(s) of hamburgers and hot dogs, everyone was exhausted from dealing with so much Gavin excitement. 

He ate quickly, just wanting to shove off already and get to his presents. He was a very impatient, selfish person when it came to certain things. He hoped nobody took him the wrong way. It seemed like they were taking their sweet time eating just to torture him, and finally - after catching him a third time gazing over at the table of gifts - Michael spoke up. 

"Geoff, I think he's had enough." He smiled at his boss and looked over at Gavin, who was staring at Michael like he was a savior from Heaven. "Go get 'em."  
Everyone mobilized their meals and stood around the table to watch Gavin tear through his presents like a ten year old on Christmas. Burnie got him a bottle of imported liquor, Geoff got him two shirts that respectively read "if lost please return to Geoff" and "I'm Geoff", Barbara got him a pair of creeper gloves and some novelty toys from a joke store, and so on and so forth. He eventually got to Michael's and grinned giddily when he found several little goodies; candy from a coastal shop they had visited while in Oregon, a customized iPhone case with a fanart of them as surgeons, a pair of socks with little Minecraft bits on them, and a small notebook with a cover reading "IOU." Gavin laughed, flipping through the book hastily and reading a few of the things he could turn the coupons in for. 

-1 hour of hang out time without being yelled at  
-1 large ice cream from place of choice  
-3 night stay at Casa De Michael  
-1 free lunch  
-3 free drinks of choice at a local bar  
-1 home cooked meal  
-1 massage  
-1 hour of cuddling  
-1 kiss

Gavin stopped at that one, staring for a second before going slightly red. He closed the booklet and laughed, moving to pull his boy into a big hug.


	2. Table or booth?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> man you have no idea how hard it is to not make him exchange that coupon rIGHT NOW

It was still warm even with the sun starting to set. Everyone had left the Ramsey house with a flurry of hugs and final birthday wishes. Gavin lazed about on a lawn chair by the pool, still in his swimsuit and not planning on changing out of it anytime soon. 

"Hey, you thinkin' about maybe helping us clean all this up or are you just gonna be a 'lazy git' all day?" Geoff shouted from the doorway. He had hands full of three garbage bags and was being tailed by Michael, who was filling a final one up with cups and plates. 

"Do you really think there's any way he's gonna help?" Michael scoffed, tying up his bag and tossing it over his shoulder. 

Gavin turned around halfway in his chair and grinned cheekily, "Birthday boys don't have to clean." 

He laid back, basking in the sun for several minutes. He heard people talking behind him, felt the presence when Millie bounded up to him and held onto the arm of his chair. He slipped off his sunglasses and looked to her, grinning back when he saw her face light up. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, saying 'happy birthday, Gavvy' before handing him a piece of paper. He sat up and studied it in better lighting, realizing it was a picture of him and Michael. He smiled, hugging her tightly before standing up. 

"C'mon, this has gotta go up on my wall!" He grabbed her hand and laughed along when she did. He let her choose the perfect spot for it, right next to his T.V. Her excuse being that he could 'wake up to Mikey's face every morning.' 

She ran off to do God knows what and Gavin made his way to the backyard again. It was - finally - clean and Gavin snapped his fingers in disappointment. 

"And I was just comin' to help you lads finish." 

Geoff laughed sarcastically as Gavin made his way back over to the pool. He stood admiring the water for a few seconds, half considering jumping back in when he felt a firm hand on his back. He heard laughter and someone yell "happy birthday" before he was submerged. When he popped up he had no choice but to laugh it off - please, if you had seen the pure joy on Michael's face, you wouldn't have been able to be angry either. 

He climbed out and shook his hair off on his friend before toweling off. 

"You up for some Mario-kart?" Michael asked, leading Gavin inside of his own home.

"Nah. Actually, I thought now would be the perfect time to use some coupons." 

"Oh?" 

"Yeah, I'm a right bit hungry. Home cooked meal?" 

Michael smiled, pushing his shoulder and nodding.

\---

Gavin took a surprisingly long time getting ready to leave, and Michael was pretty sure he knew exactly why when he jumped out of his room with a full duffle bag slung across his shoulder. He walked up to Michael and handed over three tickets - ice cream, home cooked meal, 3 night stay - and the grin on his face was stupidly priceless. They left, and though he was glad he got to drive him everywhere, Michael wondered for the millionth time how Gavin survived without a license.

"Where did you wanna get ice cream?" 

"How about that little shop that we went to that one time?" 

"Yeah, that narrows it down." 

They eventually - with little help from Gavin - found the place he was talking about. It was cold inside and the walls were painted a dull blue, which was very fitting. Gavin ordered a large waffle cone of strawberry shortcake and Michael immediately knew that he wouldn't be able to finish it. He ordered a small cone of blueberry and paid for them both, loving the way Gavin's eyes bulged when he saw the monstrosity that he would have to attempt to consume. They drove the ten minutes home and Michael immediately started on dinner; Gavin started up a movie and lounged on the couch (with over half of his cone left.) 

Michael popped around the corner wall of his kitchen, "Anything in specific you want for dinner?" 

"Spaghetti. With garlic bread!" Gavin didn't even take a second to think about it, and Michael knew it had been on his mind all day.

About forty minutes into the movie, Gavin's stomach was rumbling. He could smell the garlic bread and he heard every motion going on in the kitchen with careful ears. He knew it was coming when Michael clacked about with a few dishes, and when he saw the plates filled with food he was fully focused on getting it in his stomach as soon as possible. He groaned when Michael took too long, and he was reaching out with grabby-hands by the time the plate was within his grasp. 

It took him all of five minutes to finish his meal and, though Michael was only a little over halfway done, he was already moving to get seconds. Michael kicked him in the butt and called him a fatass, but Gavin only turned and gave him a wicked grin. 

"I can't help it, Mi-cool. You're an amazing chef!" 

"This is seriously the easiest meal to make in the entire world. Anyone can make spaghetti."

"I can't." 

Michael grinned at him, "That's 'cause you're an idiot." 

Gavin kept his smile all the way to the kitchen. He really couldn't help it, Michael made some of the best food he had ever tasted - even if it was only spaghetti.


	3. Your House, My Rules

Though he had spent 26 years being a real life human being, Gavin had never quite learned the rules of tact and respect. When someone was a superior to him, of course, he was kind and mild mannered and spoke (mostly) only when spoken to. However, it was a much different story when it came to his friends, or people who even slightly fit into the category of possible friends. 

The very first day he met Michael, he had ended up calling him several names, challenging him to a video game, challenging him to a wrestling match when he lost said video game, challenging him to a drinking game when he lost said wrestling match, getting sloppily drunk and, ultimately, crashing out on Michael's couch. It wasn't the best first impression to make on most people, but there was something about the comfortable air settling around Gavin at all times that kept Michael smiling throughout the whole ordeal.  
A bit over a year later and Gavin still has not learned how to act in every day situations. (i.e: staying the night at Michael's house.) After his gourmet spaghetti and garlic bread, Michael took both of their plates to the kitchen. When he returned and sat down he immediately found that Gavin thought he would be the perfect bed. His entire torso was across his legs and he had stacked three pillows under his head for better elevation. Michael sighed and smiled as he reached for the TV remote, but Gavin was quicker and - much to Michael's dismay - they ended up watching the food channel. 

There was hardly a time when five minutes of any given show could go by without a comment from Gavin and, though it was incredibly annoying, Michael couldn't help but laugh every time he looked down to see excitement on his face. 

"Ooooh, look at that! I want that, looks bloody delicious!" 

"Idiot. We literally just ate." 

\---

At about 2AM, Michael decided it was time for bed. However, he found that upon trying to move from his seat, he was obstructed by an annoyingly bony and loudly snoring brit. He pushed on his arm to wake him, but was only met with a vaguely sleepy "bugger off" before there was nothing but snoring filling the silence once again. He patted his cheek lightly and whispered his name to wake him, and when that didn't work he shook him vigorously and said his name even louder. Nothing seemed to work, and by 2:24 he was fed up. He hooked his arm under Gavin's chest and used both hands to push him up into the air just enough for him to squeeze out from underneath him. He scampered off to bed, barely hearing the (fully awake) "goodnight, Mi-cool."

\---

The following morning wasn't particularly better. Michael was woken to rustling in his closet, which was not a good way to wake up a man with his own web-series titled "Rage Quit." He stomped up to the closet and slammed the door to the side, fully prepped to battle a burglar but not entirely ready to find Gavin rummaging through all of his things.  
"What the fuck are you doing?" 

"Goin' through your old stuff. Your mum called this morning - don't worry, I didn't answer like a creep, just heard the message she left on the machine - and said somethin' about needing your baby pictures back for some family thing. I wanted to see baby Michael before the chance was lost forever." 

"You.." Michael sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to take a shower. They're up on the top shelf, left side." 

He left wondering why he ever thought IOUs would be a good thing to give his idiot best friend.

-

The shower was a saving grace for Michael, but by the time he was in the kitchen making a pot of coffee he was, unsurprisingly, met with several shouts of his name in a stupid british accent.

Gavin ran into the kitchen holding a guitar case before he could respond. His eyes were wide and when Michael gave him a questioning look, all he did was hold the guitar case up near his face and shake it lightly.

"What?"

"You have a guitar!" 

"Wow, thanks for telling me. I had no clue." 

"Michael!" He pouted, but the smile was there the whole time, "Play me a song!" 

"No." 

"But-"

"No."

"Aw, c'mon my little Mi-cool!"

Gavin hopped away to the couch while Michael poured himself a cup of coffee. He soon followed, and found that Gavin was perched criss-cross, holding the guitar and staring down at it intently. Michael sat, and after a few more seconds of careful inspection, Gavin strummed harshly. The following song was just about the least written bit of music ever put together by anyone or anything - hell, there was better music in the sound of a car crash. 

After an excruciating thirty seconds of the serenade, Michael set his coffee down and grabbed the guitar.

"Jesus, you're gonna snap her fucking neck if you keep that up." 

"..Your guitar is a girl?" 

"Shuddup." 

Michael tested out a few chords, tuning lightly until he got the sound close enough. He pricked the strings lightly in an easy melody and Gavin nearly choked on his excitement as the song sped up and turned into actual music. He didn't recognize the song, figured it was one of those obscure indie bands Michael listened to all the time, but it was lovely none the less. 

When it was over, Gavin clapped and grinned. 

"Mi-cool, teach me how to play guitar." 

"Fuck you." 

Michael put the guitar away.

\---

It wasn't until Gavin had spent so much time complaining about there being no food that Michael finally went to the store. It was a short trip mostly filled with snacks that would be eaten as soon as he got home, but it was a trip regardless. He was gone for maybe thirty minutes, Gavin would be all right on his own for that long, right?  
Wrong.

Upon opening the front door, he realized that it was possibly the dumbest possible thing to leave him home alone. There were blankets and pillows everywhere, propped up with chairs and trailing back down the hallway. Michael sighed and set the groceries down near the couch before calling out to his idiot. 

"I'm back here, Michael! C'mon, get in the fort!" 

"You're cleaning all of this up when you're done." 

Michael searched around and found an opening near the TV. He crawled on his hands and knees, realizing quickly that Gavin hadn't thought to put any flashlights to light the way. When he got back toward the end of the hallway, he could see a light coming from his bedroom. The blankets continued into there and he was amazed, partially because Gavin had done this all in half an hour and partially because he had no fucking clue he owned this many blankets. There were flashlights partially behind some thin blankets, offering colours to the lights. A few were tied to the ceiling of the fort, hanging low enough to hit people in the head if they weren't careful.

"Gav, how the fuck did you do all this?" 

"You were gone forever! It's bloody boring here." 

"I was gone for half an hour!" 

"Nah, really? It seemed longer, I collected every blanket from your entire apartment."

"You're fucking insane." Michael laughed, shaking his head in amazement, "I'm not helping you clean this shit up." 

"But Mi-cool!" 

\---

Michael woke up the next morning unbelievably hot. He thrashed around a bit to find that he had fallen asleep in the blanket fort, and it had collapsed in the night. When he got out, he discovered Gavin was in the shower. His stomach rumbled loudly and he decided to make breakfast - strawberry waffles, Gavin was fucking lucky to have him as a friend - for them both. By the time they were done and Michael had picked up and folded all the blankets from the living room, making a point to leave the rest for Gavin, he was out of the shower. 

He rushed into the kitchen at the promise of food and Michael was reminded once again that Gavin was definitely a morning person. They ate on the couch while watching TV. When they were done, Michael took their plates and rinsed them off. 

"I'm going to take a shower, all these blankets better be folded by the time I get out." Gavin nodded vaguely at him, "And you better not have used all the hot water."  
It was the coldest shower of Michael's life.

"GAVIN, YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD."


	4. What are you thinking?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'mmmmmm sorry this took so long. We moved so it's been really hectic these past few months! I'm working on the final chapter and it'll be posted later today. Thank you for being so patient!!!

The pizza was half gone and the movie was over, there were empty beer bottles on the table and a horrible pit in the bottom of Gavin's stomach that he couldn't ignore even if he was distracted by the end of world. Michael was in the bathroom, nightly ritual thing. He had the remaining three coupons in his hand and was staring down at them as if they would tell him something, tell him if they actually meant something. 

The bathroom door opened and Gavin shoved two of the three into his pocket just before Michael emerged into the living room. He stared down at Gavin's hands quickly before quirking an eyebrow at him. 

"Pick your poison?" 

He handed him the ticket, "I hear you're good with your hands." 

Michael grinned. 

Hardly a minute later and Gavin found himself victim to one of the greatest - albeit roughest - shoulder massages he had ever gotten. Sunny was playing in the background but both men were too immersed in the current happenings to pay any mind to the antics of five 30-something year old sociopaths. Michael dug in particularly hard in one spot and worked his thumb deep into a knot between Gavin's shoulder and neck.

He groaned, "Jesus, Michael." He received a laugh in response, "Do you remember that barbecue where Geoff jumped off the roof and completely eviscerated his back? And you gave him a massage?" 

"Yeah?" 

"He went on about that for weeks. I thought he was blowin' it way out of proportion, being a little pisspot, but bloody hell."

Michael laughed, "My aunt was a masseuse. She had all these weird books around her house and she used to practice on me. I got into it and ended up teaching her a few things, I guess."

"Why didn't you ever do this for a living? Electrician and professional video game monkey are about as far away from this field of work as possible." 

"I don't know, Gav. I really work that controller well." He grabbed Gavin's shoulders and faked like he were a controller, pressing buttons and tilting him side to side.

Gavin laughed, but once Michael stopped and leaned back into the couch with a very light "Okay, dumbass, time's up." It didn't take him long to begin doubting the entire ordeal; there was nothing in his mind that could connect him to why Michael would do all of this stuff other than a joke. 'Mavin' was office-popular, and though he himself wasn't fond of joking about it, Michael loved it. He went out of his way to make jokes about them together, pushing in some fake feelings for the fandom. 

He didn't know what to do, and by the time Michael headed to bed, he was nearly having a fit. He made a cup of tea and headed out to the balcony, sitting down and promptly calling Geoff.

"Gavin, it's one o'clock in the morning, I have a kid. This better be fuckin' good."

"I think I'm in love with Michael." The line went silent, "Geoffrey?" 

He sighed, "Jesus, dude. Why are you telling me this?" 

"Dunno, I had to tell someone."

"And you don't think that someone oughta be, I don't know, the guy you're in love with?"

"Think."

"What?"

"The guy I think I'm in love with."

"Don't be dumb, everyone else already knows."

"What?"

"Everybody on this planet right now is aware of the way you two feel about each other, except you two." 

"Michael doesn't feel any way about me."

"You're his best friend, dude. And his secret gay crush."

"He isn't gay."

"Do you remember back in 2011 when we had that Christmas party and Michael brought his 'friend' James?"

"Yeah." It clicked, "Oh my god."

"He isn't gay, Gav. He likes girls. He just likes boys, too." 

He thought for a moment, "What do I do?"

"Give him the ticket, asshole."

The line went dead. Gavin hadn't told him about the tickets.


	5. I'd Like To Turn In This Ticket, Please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm,,,,

5AM. Gavin had been up all night. He was on his third cup of tea, watching a TV turned on to a children's show with the volume all the way down. He had both remaining tickets in his hands, staring at them intently - willing them to go away or to make him turn them in, he wasn't sure. He dropped the papers, groaning and pulling at his hair. 

"Gav?"

He flipped halfway around and found himself staring directly at the person he wanted to see most and least in the world. 

"Michael."

"Are you okay? It's five in the morning."

"Ah, yeah. Couldn't sleep."

"Yeah, me either." He grabbed a blanket off of the couch and wrapped it around his shoulders, moving over to sit next to him on the floor. "What the hell are you watching?"

"Kids show, some stupid tiger."

Michael grabbed the remote and turned the volume up, "How about some real TV? Something meant for someone older than four years old, maybe?" 

Gavin nodded. Michael flipped through the channels and settled on Adult Swim, not tuning in entirely to whatever show was playing. Gavin paid little attention to the show, instead fixing his focus on the discarded bits of paper on the carpet. He couldn't pick them up without making it obvious, but leaving them there ran the risk of them being seen anyway. He sighed.

"You don't have to turn them in, y'know. If you don't want to." 

Gavin looked up in shock, finding Michael already staring at the papers. "What?"

"I would totally get it. You're my boi, Gav. No hard feelings about shutting me down." He stood, discarding the blanket on the couch as he passed by to his room, "Night, Gavin." 

"Michael, wait." He got up, half chasing him down the hall. They both stopped and found themselves face to face with no words between them, nothing softening the air. "Why did you tell Geoff?"

"What?" 

"The tickets. Why did you tell Geoff about them." 

Michael laughed, running a hand through his curly hair, "Jesus christ, dude." He leaned against the wall and slid down, not waiting to be followed before he kept speaking, "He's been my wingman on this case for nearly a year." 

"A year? What case?"

"You. This. This whole thing," He waved his hands wildly between the two of them, "this case." 

"None of that makes any sense, Michael." 

He groaned, "You're so fucking dense! I love you, you idiot." 

Gavin froze. He was sure he had stopped breathing, sure his internal organs had all stopped working; his lungs were icy, his stomach heavy, his brain fuzzing over and his heart - he didn't know what his heart was doing. 

"It's okay, you don't need to say anything." Michael stood, walking to his room. He stood in the doorway, back facing Gavin, "I'm sorry." The door clicked shut.

He didn't know how long he just sat there, staring at the wall with a blank mind. At some point, it got brighter from the sunrise. His phone rang out on the coffee table and he rose to get it with numb legs and a still-gaping mouth. 

"Hel-" His throat was dry, he swallowed hard, "Hello?" 

"You stupid, stupid fuck."

"Geoffrey?"

"No, it's fucking Santa Claus. Why did you let him go back to his room alone?" 

"I-"

"No, don't even explain yourself. I've watched you two dance around each other for a year like the office is a fucking ballet stage. You called me at one in the morning and told me you were in love with him, and when he tells you he's in love with you, you pussy out?"

"Geoff, I- I don't know what to do."

"It should be really fucking obvi-"

"No, I'm scared."

Geoff was silent for a few seconds before finally letting out his usual sigh. "I'm going to give you really clear instructions here: hang up the phone, take your fucking tickets into his room, collect your prize, live happily ever after." 

"But-"

"Nope." 

He hung up. Gavin set the phone back down on the table, staring at the tickets still on the floor. 

"Right, then." He grabbed them, walking with confidence to Michael's door. He knocked twice before cracking it open to peek inside. It looked like he was asleep, "Michael?" He whispered. 

A second of silence. "Go away."

"We really need to talk." 

"I don't wanna." 

"Michael, please." He stretched out the please in exaggeration, "I think you'd really like to hear what I have to say." 

He sat up in his bed and turned on the bedside lamp, the worst scowl that had ever been on his face, "This better be fucking good-" 

He shoved a ticket into his face, his hand shaking only slightly. Michael took it, taking only a second to read it before looking back up. Gavin moved to sit on the bed, nerves tingling and brain screaming to either kiss him or run.

"Are you sure?" Michael asked, his eyes narrowing. 

He nodded quickly, "You're my boi." He moved in for a kiss, frowning when he realized Michael was leaning back. "You don't want to kiss me?" 

"I want to kiss you more than I've ever wanted to kiss anyone." He sighed, "I just don't want you to do this out of pity."

"Pity? Bloody hell, Michael, I love you!" He leaned back and threw his hands up, "The whole damned apartment complex can know. I, Gavin Free, am desperately in love with Michael Jones!" 

He stared incredulously, "But, in the hall-" 

"I'm an idiot. I got overwhelmed. I've spent so long trying to ignore it, convincing myself this was all a joke to you. I've talked to Geoff twice in the past twelve hours and both times he yelled at me for being so stupid."

"You're not stupid, Gav."

"I am! I've been in love with you for so long, everyone else could see it! I was too bloody stubborn, though. Always too bloody stubborn."

"All right, fuck this," Michael surged forward, grabbing Gavin by the jaw and pressing their lips together. He pulled back almost immediately, but was met with an insistent Brit tackling him to the bed and smashing their mouths together. It was long, neither were sure exactly how long, before they pulled apart. Breathing heavy, they collapsed side by side on their backs. 

"So, how bad do you think the Mavin jokes will be when we go back to work?"

They both laughed. When they pulled themselves together, Gavin was staring at Michael.

"What?" 

"I still have one last ticket to turn in." He handed over the slip of paper, grinning. They both slept better than they had all year.

\---

When they showed up at work the next day, it was silent. Their arrival in the room brought the possibility of either tension or relief, and it wasn't until Gavin grabbed Michael's hand that the entire office let out a simultaneous breath. 

Ray spoke up first, "So, Mavin?"


End file.
